Main navigation

Maunula Atmospheres

Submitted by Kaisa
on 6. May 2016 - 9:34

In Maunula Atmospheres, artist duo La Jetée explore the relationships between a community and the atmosphere within and around it. From photographs and videos contributed by Maunula residents, they focus on the horizons, clouds and atmospheric events, and create a piece where the constantly changing skies assume the main role.

The atmosphere is a global commons going beyond national boundaries or authority; a “no man’s land” that surrounds everyone. Clouds assume new shapes and compositions, the sky is of new colours. The act of looking at the sky suggests the possibility of a wider spatial and temporal horizon; it stretches our gaze beyond the figures in the foreground. Maunula Atmospheres explores the relations between subjective everyday experiences and the atmosphere. The aim is to trace local perceptions of the skies and create a common archive of atmospheres from private records.

La Jetée’s 2-week-residency with m-cult initiated their new research into atmospheres. During their stay in Helsinki, they opened a ‘reception desk’ at the Maunula media workshop and visited collections of local organisations while building a first prototype of the generative film on the Processing platform. A public projection was organised in Maunula at the end of the residency, and the final film was presented in Helsinki at the Karga/Mazzi/La Jetée exhibition in 2017.